Star Fighter 3000 requires a computer with RISC OS 3, 4 or 5 (minimum OS 3.1). It is compatible with StrongARM and the Iyonix PC. At least 4Mb of RAM is recommended; the game may work on a 2Mb machine but memory is likely to be very tight.
An ARM 3 or better processor is recommended to use the higher detail levels. A fast ARM 7 machine is generally sufficient to play the game in full-screen mode at 'max' detail and 'medium' speed. For desktop play a StrongARM is recommended.
The 'nested' Window Manager (i.e. version 3.8 or later) is required for the game's desktop interface. This is available as an upgrade for RISC OS 3 machines but only as part of Acorn's Universal !Boot. On older machines the game may also need to load various modules from your !System directory, including the Toolbox.
Unlike some earlier versions of the game an updated version of the Shared C Library from Castle Technology Ltd is not required on machines running RISC OS 3 or 4.
The game uses a graphics resolution of 320 x 256; to run in full screen mode you require a suitable mode definition. The game will run at the correct speed regardless of the frequency of the mode, but for best effect a 50 Hz or 100 Hz mode is recommended. Mode definitions for a non-letterboxed 320 x 256 100 Hz display on a VGA monitor are available from various sources.
For optimal performance in the desktop it is best to use a screen mode where neither colour translation nor scaling is necessary. This implies 256 colours with standard palette and a display scale of 50% (assuming standard eigen factors of 1,1).
Upon being loaded the game will automatically decide whether to use (in order of preference) SharedSound, 16-bit sound or 8-bit sound.
If the SharedSound module is detected then the game's sound will be mixed with any other sound sources, such as an MP3 music player. Otherwise the game will attempt to claim exclusive use of the sound system. If this claim fails then the game's sound will be disabled.
N.B. It is strongly recommended that SharedSound be used on machines with 16 bit sound, since this eliminates the possibility of conflict with other applications.
Where possible, configuration and high scores are stored in the standard location for program choices rather than inside the application directory. This means that the game can be run from CD-ROM (or other non-writable media) so long as you have a !Boot structure or external !Choices directory (part 19990915-001 from RISCOS Ltd).
The game can be installed and run from hard disc; simply drag the !Star3000 application icon to the directory viewer where the game is to be installed. Early versions of Star Fighter 3000 required the insertion of the original floppy disc before the game would run. This version is not copy protected in that manner.